Skip to main content

That Drawer . . . . It's fine.

 Letters from the Nest

https://lettersfromthenest.substack.com/p/that-drawer


We have an entire kitchen drawer dedicated to face masks. You know, the kind people wore every time they interacted with anybody outside their bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic nearly FIVE years ago. A whole drawer. For face masks. From years ago. Why?

Why, indeed.

The why doesn’t refer to the act of wearing face masks. That topic was debated, disputed, accepted, rejected, suffered, rebelled against, and on and on. I don’t want to talk about that. Just writing about it makes my blood pressure rise. So much conflict and uncertainty. It’s sickening! (not viral, haha).

The “why” I’m thinking about is why, when no member of our family has actually worn a face mask in at least three years, do we still have an entire kitchen drawer dedicated to them?

Okay, actually, you’re right. The drawer also holds packs of gum. Bad breath and face masks. They go together, right?

A couple of weeks ago, I went to that drawer to get a pack of gum to replenish my bag for church. (I like to pass out gum to everybody on our row after the sacrament. It’s been a thing I have done for at least 15 years. Maybe longer.) So, I opened the drawer for a pack, and our gum box was empty! But guess what I saw? Face masks. Hundreds of disposable face masks mingled with a jaunty collection of the cotton variety.

The masks glared at me. I glared back. “What are you still doing here? Don’t you have something better to do?” (You already know I talk to household items like they’re people. I also know you think it’s kinda weird.)

The masks didn’t answer. Of course. It’s not their fault they’re still there, taking up space, existing without purpose, invisible until the gum was gone.

We moved into our house in 2021 when mask-wearing was what everybody did. The construction crew remodeling our house also wore masks (at first), but then it just seemed weird since they were at our house every weekday from morning to evening.

Unpacking and settling into our home was a haphazard affair. Still, the placement of the masks in their own drawer next to the key drawer made sense. Grab a mask. Grab the keys. Go.

Eventually, as you know, the wearing of face masks faded from our everyday routines. I got rid of the “mask bags” we carried in each of our cars. No need. I didn’t carry extra masks around in my purse. Why would I? But nobody did a thing about that mask drawer. It’s still there! Why?

I hear a lot of excuses formulating in my mind. We have been busy. Too many things, too much time. It’s not important. What if we need them? I’m tired. What it boils down to is that the effort required to reorganize hurts more than knowing we could be putting that part of the kitchen to better. Because right now, it’s fine. Those masks aren’t hurting anybody. They don’t cause any disruption. They’re just there. That’s all.

Of course, now I’m thinking about all of the other things in my life that are fine. We live our lives. We do the stuff. Time goes on. We get by. Even though things could be better, they’re not bad.

What are you thinking about that’s like our abandoned mask drawer? It’s easy for me to think about cluttered drawers and closets, unmended clothes, and bags waiting to go to Goodwill. Household stuff. It’s more difficult to think about patterns of living or thinking that I accept because everything is fine. They’re not bad, but could I do better with a little attention and effort?

What are the mask drawers in your life? What are you not seeing? What has gone on too long? What are you not changing and why? What kind of help do you need?

I suppose now that I have acknowledged this drawer, I should do something about it, right? Ask me about it next time we talk.

Love,

Mom

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

That Sinking Feeling - Real Talk From Your Mother

Also found at Letters from the Nest:   https://open.substack.com/pub/lettersfromthenest/p/that-sinking-feeling?r=48qui&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Dear Nestlings, I hope you don’t mind a little stream-of-consciousness letter today. I don’t know if I have anything specific to share, so let’s see what floats to the surface. It’s a bright fall Friday morning. These last few weeks in central Pennsylvania have been lovely, sunny, and warm. I know winter is coming, so I try to be outside as much as possible to take advantage of the sun before it hibernates. I just completed the forty-minute round trip to drive one of you to the high school. You know who you are, but maybe in a few years, when you read this, you won’t know because every one of you has missed the bus sometimes and has endured lectures about planning better and showing your respect for my work by not requiring forty minutes of my life for your convenience. Anyway, everybody is at school and work except...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gavin in a Million Words or Less

 Way back when Emily was in 6th grade, her teacher, Ms. Grey, asked parents to write about thier children in a million words or less. I posted what I wrote about Emily on our blog. I wish I were more organized and tech-savvy to find the link to that post and put it here, but I'm not. It's a nice idea that maybe I'll do later. Anyway, you get to read what I wrote to Gavin's fifth grade teacher who made the same requests of parents: Gavin is the youngest of seven children. His three oldest siblings have flown the nest, so he talks to them on the phone and looks forward to holiday visits. This summer, his oldest sister had a baby, so he’s an Uncle! He has three older brothers, who sometimes make life tricky for him, but are also sources of wisdom, rides to the store to get candy, and annoying TikTok phrases. He sometimes wants to be more grown up than he actually is. This little guy is academically oriented. He loves to read BIG books. He rarely reads a standalone nove...
Post a Comment
Read more

Back To School Meanies

 Letter From the Nest August 15, 2025 https://open.substack.com/pub/lettersfromthenest/p/back-to-school?r=48qui&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web One August, more than twenty years ago, at an evening book club discussion, my “older” friends (now I look back and know those women were the age I am now), were discussing the woes and triumphs of back-to-school season. One woman was anticipating her youngest child’s senior year of high school. She said, “For more than two decades, our lives have revolved around the school district’s academic calendar. I don’t know how I will plan my life without knowing about school breaks or holidays.” I remember her bittersweet tone as she anticipated freedom from school schedule constraints but also mourned how those constraints guided her choices. What would she do? Other women joined the discussion, wondering if their kids would have good teachers, if they’d be able to balance volunteering in the classroom, how to streamline school supply pu...
Post a Comment
Read more